Forty-five workers injured in mine collapse after firedamp explosion in İzmir

Photo:BirGün

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A mine in the Kınık district of İzmir province in western Turkey collapsed late Saturday (December 18) after a firedamp explosion.

Forty-five workers who were affected by the smoke were taken to state hospitals in Kınık and Soma, Manisa.

No workers were left in the mine and security measures were taken after the incident, Governor of İzmir Yavuz Selim Köşger announced. None of the workers incurred serious injuries, he added.

The Kınık Chief Public Prosecutor's Office opened an investigation into the incident, the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.

"The company was warned"

The Polyak mining company, which operates the mine, was previously warned about high levels of methane and groundwater in the mine, according to Başaran Aksu, an organization specialist for the Bağımsız Maden-İş union.

Gerçek Gündem news site reported that the company had forced its workers to continue working and threatened them with dismissal in the early times of the coronavirus pandemic.

The company had put 750 workers on unpaid leave during the pandemic.

The Bağımsız Maden-İş union had stated that the company pressured its members to leave the union. (TP/EMK/VK)